Reviewed by celinenyx on
It has been one year since Tilda lost her husband, and she moves into the cottage in rural Wales they bought together. She has always been afraid of the water, but the lake near the cottage has a mysterious draw on her. As time passes, she starts having visions of a different time, featuring Seren, a Celtic witch.
Bringing together two story lines, one in a past time and one contemporary is a technique that is used by many authors, but often it is hard to create a plausible connection between the two. The Silver Witch handles this very well, letting the two plot lines converge slowly.
If I had to describe The Silver Witch in three words, they would be: whimsical, delicate, and mysterious. Inherent in these words is the fact that nothing is rushed - that would break the spell Brackston is trying to weave here. Although I enjoyed the slowly unfolding of the plots and connections, at times I felt there wasn't enough to keep me fully engaged in the story. This wasn't helped by the fact that Brackston writes in an adjective-heavy style, which grinds on my nerves after a while. The book has many lovely and haunting moments, but, especially in the beginning of the book, there are too few.
The Silver Witch is a haunting read drenched in Welsh countryside and Celtic history; recommended for lovers of magic realism.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- Finished reading
- 12 October, 2015: Reviewed